‘ON THE GROUND’ SHOW FOR SEPTEMBER 2, 2016: Rally For Refugees on the National Mall, August 28, 2016

https://onthegroundshow.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/OTG-SEPT2-2016-MONO.mp3 There is a global refugee crisis with 65 million people displaced in the aftermath of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. It is estimated that one-third of those officially recognized as refugees are Iraqi or Syrian. But so many people in our own hemisphere are not designated as refugees fleeing violence in Honduras, El Salvador or Guatemala, violence in which the United States is complicit. Rally organizers wanted to press policy makers to increase the paltry number of 10,000 Syrian refugees in the U.S.. A number of organizations, including Amnesty International, joined together under the banner of Rally4Refugees.org, where there is information about fundraising and volunteer opportunities to help refugees. Recording artists Gregory Porter and Common, featured at the rally, have also joined in to produce the song “Running: The Refugee Song,” which can be downloaded online and all proceeds will benefit refugees. SOME VOICES: Recording artists Gregory Porter and Common, Iraqi Journalist Ali Al Mshakheel, Tom Andrews, Ty Cobb, refugees and immigrants from Sudan, Syria, Iraq, El Salvador, West Africa and other regions. Pictured on this post: members of the Pihcintu Refugee Chorus.